Pokémon Ranger: The Best of the Best
by Alfa19
Summary: Follow Alfa, Kellyn, Keith on their journey to be the best of the best, encountering yet again threats to the Almia, and the entire Union Peninsula, but this time with so much more at stake as hidden pasts are unearthed, secrets are brought out into the open, hearts are pulled in every direction and resolves are tested. Behold, the story of the best of the best


**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

 **A/N: Welcome to the rewrite of Pokémon Ranger: Lumière Diamante and Pokémon Ranger Synthetic Life. YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE READ THEM. I've taken courses in fiction writing at this point, and I'd like to think my writing's better than when I started out four years ago. God it feels like so long. This is kind of funny because I meant to publish this on the fourth anniversary of the release of Lumière Diamante, but stuff came up and by the time I got back to finishing this I realized I'd missed by a few days. Anyhow, here it is. The major plot points I think should stay the same, but I'm not fully certain on everything. For all I know this may become a story with the same skeleton but an entirely different body. So, for the (barely missed) fourth anniversary of my first story, comes its rebirth. Feel free to review. Any questions I'll answer in A/N's. without further ado, I present to you my newest story. Behold, Pokémon Ranger: The Best of the Best.**

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"Target heading south on the bridge. Go for interception." Kellyn's voice sounded clear down Keith earpiece and radiating just out of it within my earshot as I prepared to wrap up the maneuver.

Keith rode down the bridge from the Altru Park, spotting the blueish streaks in his hair marking the man they were looking for. The unseemly stranger picked up his pace as he noticed his tail, breaking into a run as the Top Ranger hurtled towards him.

Kellyn leaped off Garchomp, heading down the bridge in the other direction to complete the pincer on him. A pair of icy blue eyes stared at Kellyn from the running figure's face as he twisted on his heel and sprang up. His figure blocked the sunlight for a moment, casting a shadow over Kellyn as he stepped onto the stone railing.

"He's jumping off the East Side of the bridge." Kellyn shouted down the com as their target pushed off his heels on the stone railing and jumped off it.

Taking my cue, I hurtled in on my partner from below the bridge, leaping off Latios and tackling the man into the choppy water below the bridge. I took a deep breath just in time as my lenses ticked down how far from the water we were, given we were falling face first.

Hitting a switch on my Styler at my hip, I blinked as the scene in front of me switched to a heat map as we crashed together into the cool water beneath the cement of the bridge. I whipped my Styler out of its holster as fast as I could in the water and reeled a cord out of it to truss up the target and pull him up to the surface. Sunlight caught my eyes as we broke the surface of the water, forcing me to keep my eyes turn away as I waved for Latios to drag us up to the bridge. Weightlessness took over as the draconic Pokémon lifted us up with telekinesis, depositing us next to my partners. I coughed for a second, looking up.

"What?" I asked, shaking my hair out as they stared on.

"I swear they didn't look like that two years ago when we took down The Dim Sun Syndicate." Kellyn said.

"It's like there's a mirror next to him." Keith murmured.

I frowned, turning to stare at the silently waiting target next to me.

"What the hell!?"

[=============]

Eight hours earlier…

Barlow brushed a stray leaf off his vest, watching as the Ranger in the distance neared. Coming in from the direction of Vien Forest was a younger Ranger with brown, spiky hair, and idiotic grin plastered across his face, and a Floatzel bounding along next to the Tauros he was riding.

"Barlow! Great to see you again!" he called out as he dismounted the Tauros, sending it out to the forest as he ambled up to the Ranger base and the dark-haired behemoth of a man who headed it.

"Keith! Now there's a face I haven't seen in a while! Have you been on a roaming patrol?" The burly Ranger bellowed, throwing his arms in the air.

"Mostly the depths of Johto. I had my share of fun, but I missed this side of the world." Keith scratched the side of his head, leaning against the wall while Floatzel ran a circle around the roof, having climbed up while no one was looking. "I think that's Kellyn coming down that way."

Barlow turned his burly frame to face East, frowning at the blank path. Nobody was coming. He looked back to Keith, about to speak, stopping with his mouth open at Keith's raised finger.

The breeze changed directions as Keith's smile grew wider. Blazing down the trail from the eastern woods to the School Bridge came a Garchomp. Another Ranger, this one with darker brown hair only slightly messy, and height to rival Barlow, slid off the rapidly decelerating dragon and skidded to a stop a few feet from Keith.

"Keith! Barlow! Boy has it been a while! But hey! Today's the day the squad's back together." He wiped his brow down, before grabbing Barlow in a hug.

"Well bless my Styler Keith was right! How've you been Kellyn? How's the Top Ranger from our own Vientown Base?" Barlow laughed, clapping him on the back. For once he didn't stumble forward, a testament to his new stature.

"I'm doing swell Barlow, it's been a long ride patrolling Hoenn." Kellyn smiled, spreading his arms. "It's nice to be back here. I stopped by the Ranger school on my way in."

"Is that right? How're old Lamont and his crew?"

"They're doing good. When I told Ms. April that three old squad was back together, she laughed and said she was glad we'd grown up a bit otherwise the Union would have been in trouble." He cast a sideways glance at Keith, who's grin only split wider as he finally walked over and slung his arm over Kellyn's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, when's he-" A loud crack in the air cut Keith off, all three heads turning towards the sky from where a blue and white Pokémon descending with a uniformed Ranger on its back.

"Now, I suppose." Barlow looked to Latios slowing to a halt a foot off the ground in front of them.

"Alfa! Now we've got the old guard back together!" Kellyn grinned as his Garchomp sauntered over and nudged Alfa.

"Hey there buddy, you've evolved since I last saw you." Alfa scratched Garchomp's back fin, "What did Ms. April say when you told here we were assigned to work together again."

"Said she was glad we'd grown up a bit otherwise we'd be in trouble." Keith snickered.

"Actually, it was at her recommendation that the Chairperson put the three of us together." Kellyn remarked, his cyan eyes taking on a twinkle, "after all, how could she forget the havoc we wreaked as squad 2. The grass in the south field never quite grew back properly, though they shifted the monument back in place."

"Hey! At the end of the day, we were the ones who had the fastest time through _every single damn_ testing course."

"True. Anyway, I feel like we should be heading out. It's seven thirty, and we need to get the Union soon. The assembly starts at eight thirty, and we're supposed to be there to marshal the whole shindig into order. Maybe we should head out." Alfa suggested, looking at Garchomp and then at Keith. "Keith, you did plan for this right?"

"Plan for what?" Keith looked at him blankly.

"For getting to the Union in time. I refuse to believe that you didn't realize we don't have the time to take it slow getting there." Alfa stared at him, arms crossed.

"Oh, that! Yeah, I'm good. The river in Vien Forest winds its way up to Union bend. I'll go down that way. I've got an Empoleon waiting in the river, so I'll head off then. See you guys there." He headed off in a backwards run with a jaunty salute, spinning and heading into the forest to go.

"Shall we?" Kellyn asked, moving his hand from Garchomp's shoulder as he climbed onto the Land Shark Pokémon's back.

"Let's. Barlow? I take it you arranged for yourself?" Alfa turned to the mustached man one last time, climbing onto Latios's back himself.

"I'll see you all at 8:30." He clapped once, heading inside as Alfa and Kellyn took to the air, Garchomp blasting ahead of Latios as it picked up speed rapidly in a show of power.

' _Can't let them get ahead of us, now can we?"_ Latios asked, slowing down for effect.

" _That we can't."_ Alfa replied with a grin invisible to his partner Pokémon. The air around them pushed momentarily before Latios cleaved the clouds ahead of them like a knife, leaving a wake for show as they crossed Kellyn and Garchomp.

"See you there, Slowpoke!" He shouted into the sky, not caring that the noise was lost in the wind.

The grey bastion that was the Ranger union loomed ahead as Latios brought the two of them down to the door, gliding in smoothly until Alfa dismounted, heading up the stairs as Latios flew back out to take to the massive tree on the roof of the building. He headed up to the third floor, where people had started to gather, waiting whilst Kellyn and Keith arrived and the whole event finally started. Standing up on the red countered island desk in the middle of the room, Professor Hastings and Chairperson Erma called the gathering to attention, the massive screen covering the wall behind them changing to display the Ranger logo and several bulletins and explanations, as well as their locations in the file directory.

"Rangers, Operators, Scientists, Mechanics, Administrators, we have called you all here today for the rebirth of our Union. We have faced far too many crises for their collective time span, and while we have persevered, we need to reorganize ourselves and prepare ourselves for anything we may face."

"The beginning of that is new equipment that's been developed by our own scientists, new systems, better organization, better management on our side." The chairperson stopped to take a breath. "Yes, better management. We have done well with guiding you, but ultimately, we feel that we need to restructure our operations to maximize your potential. Let us work together where we can and understand where we must separate. This is where each of us will be assessed."

"Not," she warned as murmurs started, "to cut people out, but rather to find our weaknesses and fortify them. Each of us has weaknesses, from myself and our top rangers, to our newest family members. We will make ourselves the best selves we can be. Therefore, we assess ourselves. To find out where we can improve, and to do so. It was 2011, three years ago, that we took down Gordor in Fiore. It was 2012, two years ago, when we cleansed Almia of the shadow Crystal. It was 2013, merely last year, that we faced down Edward in the Sky Fortress in Oblivia. We are amidst the throes of massive operational rehaul after three crises in a row within the Union Peninsula. This year, 2014, will be the year the Union is reborn, better equipped than ever to serve our people." She cried, rallying the room to see her point.

"Your departmental updates have been sent out to you and will be discussed within those groups. Rangers remember that you are to defer to the command of Top Rangers. And on that note, our current Head Ranger is Sven Stevens. Rangers please remain here; Top Rangers please head to the Greene room. Dismissed." She called out, letting them file out.

"Eleven of you. Numbers are down from the years past. Nonetheless it is a strong enough group to compensate." Chairperson Erma began once they were all in the Greene room, an analysis room on the second floor with screens making up all the large walls and the floor. "I will leave this debriefing to our new co-head of Research and Development, Isaac Browne. I must watch over the little ones."

A collective laugh rang through the room as the chairperson left to return to the third floor and deal with the other Rangers.

"Alright then." The tall blond in the lab coat at the front of the room pushed his glass up and turned to face everyone, "Everything will be up on the screen behind me if you want to follow along. We'll start with equipment."

"Uniforms. Same style, mostly. Your uniforms are full length and summer climate. Vests and trousers come with thermal weaves and shock dispersing plates woven into sections. You can take hits betters, and literal shocks as well. The jacket's the same way. It's got trigger activated folds that spread it out a lot more if you're falling fast. Your boots come spring loaded. We took some look at running shoes, prosthetic designs and spring-loaded stilts. Expect higher jumps, depending on how much your try, and easier landings from heights. You won't bounce up if you disperse the force in the right directions. There's a bit of an adjustment period, but once you use them you can probably expect twice a normal landing height if you bend your knees, more if you roll, and you can always use the landing to spring forward with these."

"Your Stylers have been reworked a bit. Communication is still there, signal is better, of course capturing. You have in eye lenses now, for vision adjustment in different environments, and database access. They also function as cameras capable of broadcasting if they're in range of your Stylers, speaking of which there's around twenty meters of steel fiber cords in the Styler for apprehending targets. They've been upgraded for sturdiness and design with new materials. Pick the new ones up on your way down. You might want to orient yourselves with the new design." Isaac looked around to see the rangers following.

The new capture Styler design was somewhat shaved off. There were lenses which and an earpiece designed to be almost invisible with the flick of a color change switch. The Styler itself was more compact, the disk nested in the front of the individually fitted devices, the insides containing the steel cord and the rest of the technology involved in it.

"Assignments. Joel and Spenser, you're still Base Heads. Supervising Fiore on travel are Solana and Lunick, alternatingly traveling abroad. Ben, Summer you're in Oblivia, same alternating deal with abroad. Sven, Wendy, you'll be traveling and abroad mostly, reporting to the Union ever so often. Alfa, Keith, Kellyn, you three will be based in Almia mostly, and on abroad missions. Each of you by the way should maintain some physical routine because you're going to have to take the challenge standard test every three quarters to requalify now instead of every six."

"Last thing, and this might make it a bit more fun for you all. Bikes. Equipped with Styler recharging, GPS, terrain mapping, and million other gadgets and things to keep you going. The best part is that we wired them the same as your Stylers; a strong thunderbolt will give it a charge. They've got a good range on them. Take yours from the garage. They can autopilot themselves to registered locations by the way, including your addresses. Oh, and assuming you need to get them across the ocean, water won't do anything to them. Uniform packages should have arrived at your addresses while we've been here. That's all for now."

"Well, that was…. Interesting… I suppose we should go… home… and set it up. The setup's fantastic." Kellyn stretched his arms behind him, "It's a chance to catch up, and then maybe we take these boots out for a run."

"Sounds like a plan." Keith yawned, walking down to row of bikes covered by a tarp in the garage. "Damn."

The trio stopped dead in their tracks as Sven pulled the tarp off the end of the lineup, whistling loud and clear through the space. Lined up one by one were gunmetal grey bikes. Minimalistic wasn't the right word. Low down with wide wheels, the bikes bodies were made to absorb shocks, yet be aerodynamic, with the rider meant to be lying flat on the back, hands in control sockets on the side so handles weren't sticking out. blue glowing lines pulsed in tracks between the plates, sunken in the working off the bike.

"Sounds about right." Alfa walked over, walking through them until he found the one with his Ranger registration. _Vehicle Registered_ flashed across his visor screen as he neared, getting onto the bike and backing it up.

The lenses were showing him everything he had been missing, from the charge level in his Styler & his current team of Pokémon to the heatmap of the terrain, the medical condition of his arm when he waved it in front of his eyes, to his location and a notice saying he hadn't tagged anything for tracking. All controlled by his Styler.

"Race you guys home?" Keith called from the other side of the row, settling into his own bike.

"You're on." Kellyn pulled out of his spot, rearing to face the exit as the other Rangers left. "Three. Two. One."

"Go." Alfa whispered under his breath as they shot out of the Union, flying off the steps in the hill and swerving to cut Union bend and tear down Union road. The roar of the wind in his ears matched that off the engine, something he'd chosen to leave on despite the muffle sound switch in front of him. Ten minutes later Altru Park came roaring up, the trio still neck and neck down the straight, Keith a bit behind for his handling on the turn.

Kellyn swerved to the right into the city and Alfa followed, thinking and letting his visor highlight the building that was Parkside, otherwise known as seven Altru Circle. Following the roads to the apartment building he pulled into the garage just behind Kellyn, parking in the locked off mini garage assigned to fourteen and twelve.

"Nice place." Keith remarked as they took the elevator up to the lobby. The building was shaped like three sides out of an octagonal ring. The inner side had a terrace with a small café, and gardens beyond. The outer side held the main entrance and driveway, a mostly glass wall with reinforced dark stained oak beams, and a fountain opposite the door, all behind two decently high hedges at a right angle.

"Excuse me ma'am, we're the Rangers moving into fourteen." Kellyn greeted the woman at the front desk filing papers into an out tray.

"Oh, you must be Rangers Alaric, Johnson and Raynerson! Alicia Black. So wonderful to finally meet you after all the correspondence! The apartments have been set up as per instruction. Can I say one final time that it was an honor for us to sell those floors into Ranger holding!" She smiled with a flourish, her hands clasped over her light green blazer front, the white shirt beneath it standing out against her slightly tanned skin.

"The pleasure is ours. So, they're ready for move in?" Alfa asked, looking around the well-lit, carpeted lobby, from the people milling around and heading outside to the back. The inside of the lobby was a compressed hexagonal shape. Two parallel sides, the one with the main door and the one between the two elevators opposite, were the shortest by far, and all the sides had been angled to bring those same sides closer together.

"Absolutely. To give you a breakdown of the building, the conference rooms are down through that hallway," She pointed towards a corridor in the inner right wall of the room, to the right of the two elevators. "The path to the back is at the opposite end of the lobby, the library is on sixth floor, right above you, and the pool is on the roof, along with the rooftop garden. The current resident count of our community is nineteen, including you all. We're a small community but well maintained. Welcome to Parkside!"

"Thank you so much Alicia." Keith took the three copies of the keys from her, handing them around as they made for the elevators. "See you later."

The three made their way to the landing on the fifth floor, opening the one door at the other end to their new home. Immediately to the right of the door was the kitchen area, with a large island counter and several appliances. Ahead lay the lounge, an area three steps down with a long, light blue couch running along the edge of the depression except for the steps on both ends, opposite the television and fireplace. Opening out of the lounge was a terrace with wicker furniture and places to lie down. To the right of the lounge was the slightly more formal area, a large desk against the window, leather couches and a table, bookshelves, another fireplace, and smartboards to work with, as well as the laundry room.

To the left was a wall, a foot or two away from the door with a mantle and coat closet right there. Halfway down it was a corridor, three steps up, leading to four bedrooms. One for each of them and an extra in case someone was over for the night, or if they got assigned a fourth squad member, though that was less likely.

"Unpack our stuff and then order something in?" Keith suggested, gesturing towards the corridor.

"I'm down for that." Alfa started towards the steps, making for the corridor to what would be his room. They'd drawn based off a plan of the apartment. "See you guys later."

Inside the first door on the left were a few boxes and a suitcase or two: all of Alfa's stuff to live in the apartment indefinitely. First thing had to be first though. He pulled out his phone and dialed his home line, putting it on speaker.

"Raynerson residence, Sicilia speaking, to whom am I talking?" his little sister's voice came drifting down the hallway,

"Seriously, do you never check Caller ID. It's Alfa. I'm moving into my new apartment. Remember how I said I was reassigned? I'm in Almia again so I can come visit more often now." Alfa laughed down the line as he started to unpack his bags, putting away clothes and setting up his desk.

"What's the place like? It's in a tower, right? When are you coming home?" She shot of rapid fire while Alfa set up his bed and got to putting his books away.

"Not quite a tower, its seven floors. Maybe. Never mind. It's a nice setup. The furnishings are good, the view's nice, it's all looking good so far. I think I'll try and come home this weekend, as soon as we've settled in and set everything up. We'll have to have you guys over sometime."

"Yup. Anyway, here's mom and dad. I'm putting you on speaker." Sicilia hit switch and Alfa could hear more, including her skipping up the steps to go to her room.

"Hey there champ, how's the new place looking?" His dad called down the line, shuffling about in the background.

"It's looking good dad. It's kind of nice to be back on this side of the world, as awesome as Unova is." Alfa smiled as he pulled his bass and guitar out of their boxes, setting them up in stands by the amplifier.

"That's wonderful dear. When will you be coming by to visit us then if you're nearby?" His mother asked.

"Well, mom, I think if we get settled in and don't have a mission over the weekend, I'll come by Saturday afternoon." Alfa climbed onto the bed, hanging the last of his flags above his wall. "See you then."

"See you then son. Take care." with that done Alfa stepped off the bed, heading first to the shower, then to down the hallway to the lounge in a t-shirt and shorts. He stepped down to the lounge to find Keith flicking through channels on the couch. He sat down at the opposite end, waiting for just a few minutes before Kellyn joined them.

"Pizza?" He asked, scratching the back of his head as he pulled his phone out.

"Why not?" Alfa shrugged, laying back.

"Because Wobbufett." Keith struggled to keep a straight face as Alfa groaned.

"How was Johto Keith?" Kellyn interjected when he walked back into the apartment, having gone down to the vending machine while he ordered food.

"Johto was pretty cool. It was fun, cause there's a lot of places they try and leave either untouched, or mostly preserved in the old culture. Tin tower is pretty awesome. The monks who watch over the place don't usually let people in, but they trusted me I guess cause of how close I am with Floatzel, and the Top Ranger status probably had to do with it to. They wouldn't let me go up to the roof without some specific item passkey thing." He stopped to take a sip,

"Honestly there wasn't that much to do. I kinda got bored for a while. I explored the entire place. The whirl islands were fun, found yet another cult of monks down there in the depths. They just wouldn't let me past their bases at all. Dragon's den was kinda solemn but cool." He frowned as he said that.

"Mount Mortar was a nice climb, and the Tohjo falls were a fun way to cross to the Indigo Plateau. I almost tried to climb Mount Silver. That thing is amazing. I was going to, but I got… tangled up elsewhere… when I was at the base."

"I thought you said you didn't really have much to do? How did you get so tangled up that you didn't go back to the one interesting thing there?" Kellyn asked, leaning forward.

"Well," Keith's face reddened slightly, and his grin widened, "I may have had a thing with Karen for a bit right then. You know, pale blue hair, Elite Four, that one."

"Ah **that** kind of tangled up. Did it end well?" Alfa smirked.

"Oh yeah, it was just harmless fun. A few dates, showdowns of capability with Pokémon, traversing Dark Cave together. A good time." Keith laughed, looking at Kellyn. "How was Hoenn buddy? I hear the battle frontier gets quite the interesting crowd."

"Oh, it was fine. Mildly annoying. Lots of unimportant incidents to deal with. I swear Scott's a genius at times, but the damn idiot just won't take no for an answer. Kept trying to convince me to join the frontier brains when he expands to Sinnoh."

"As if you'd ever abandon the Union. If you were going to be a trainer you'd be sitting on the Unovan throne by now." Alfa snorted, waiting for Kellyn to continue.

"And this might sound obnoxious, but I had to fend off advances from one of the frontier brains herself the entire time I was there too. Just couldn't get a damn break." Kellyn sighed, taking a swig.

"Ooh, methinks Kellyn has a lady friend he's not mentioning." Keith prodded, "Come on, I've told you mine, who is it."

Kellyn raised his hands in the air and shrugged, miming zipping his mouth shut. "Pizza's here." He stepped outside as his phone rang, returning in a minute with pizza.

"Buzzkill."

"You're on and off with Skyla aren't you." Alfa grinned as Kellyn's eyes widened then narrowed as he pulled out a slice. "I hung out with her a bit during my deployment. Her gym's a blast for keeping in shape. I spent more time around Lostlorn forest though."

"I can just imagine you wandering around there for days without a bother in the world. What kept you there, or just leisure?" Kellyn asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing really, it just felt calm, enveloping. I think I fell asleep there and woke up three days later once. I found a Zoroark in there, living with it's cub in an illusion. Let it be. Leisure was in Undella town. Met Cynthia there. That's an interesting ongoing thing right now. Deployment to Sinnoh helped, but I'm still not sure where it's going." Alfa went on. "Volkner though. That guy radiates power, and he doesn't bother hiding it."

"Some people." Keith raised his bottle of soda. "What time is it anyway?"

"2:30? Ish?" Alfa prompted, checking his watch. "What do you guys say we clean up and try out the new gear."

"Sounds decent." Kellyn stood up, tossing the disposable plates in the trash as he went along, the trio heading off.

"By the way, what's our official squad designation?" Alfa asked, stopping in the corridor.

"You get one guess." Keith snickered, stepping past him.

"Rhythmi couldn't resist it could she?" Kellyn laughed as he slipped into his room.

"I'll take it. Suit up, get a feel for your uniform. ETD 25 minutes. Alpha Squad signing on for duty."

[=============]

2:55 pm…

I stepped into the lounge, careful not to trigger the springs in my new boots accidentally. I walked over to the mirror in the coat closet and checked the fit in it, looking at the new style. The first layer was light weave. A sleeveless shirt, black with a white upper half ending in a downward point, with a slightly visible seam down the middle. Matching it were fitted black and white leggings, full length down to the padded socks. Over that came the dark grey trousers, and the dark red jacket with burnt gold highlights. Lastly came the boots. Black with silver highlights where the inner workings' contact points were.

I swung the closet shut and turned to face Kellyn and Keith, who had the bright idea of looking at each other to examine the uniform's look. With a grin I released my Styler from its holster on my belt with a spin and caught it, gesturing towards the door.

"Let's get the feel for these things. Peril Cliffs?" I couldn't stop smiling as we stepped into the elevator.

"Nah, the Chroma Highlands might be a better start." Kellyn suggested as we mounted our bikes, driving out together to the quiet roads of Altru Park and off East to the highlands and the abandoned oil refinery. The rough grey stone of the highlands came into view soon, marked only by patchy swathes of dull grass. Riding to a stop below what used to be the cabin where the oil refinery started, our trio dismounted, standing and staring at the nine-foot rock wall.

"Running start." Keith said, backing up to the tree line behind them on the other side of the smooth dirt road. Without hesitating for a second he sprinted just past the middle of the road and sprang up, rolling his entire right foot against he ground, from heel to toe. Flipping in the air Keith made it over the wall with room to spare, rolling over and stopping on one knee.

I jogged to the trees, following suit without the somersault as Kellyn tried to jump straight up, managing it on the third try. I sprinted towards the next ledge, jumping and landing on my feet, watching from above as Kellyn and Keith split in different directions. A thick layer of fog started to set in, as per usual in the highlands. Looking around as Latios flew in close I spotted the Pokémon I needed, breaking into a run towards the Skarmory in leaps and bounds. My capture disc shot out of my Styler, following the guiding path my hand was making around the bird, looping around it thrice. The bird sauntered over, calmed by the emotions transmitted across the Styler and of course, cowed by the Legendary Pokémon standing next to me.

' _Latios could you get Skarmory to clear the air?'_ I asked.

Without responding, Latios communicated with the Pokémon in front of it. I stood and watched as it took to the air, calling more Skarmory to join it as with they rapidly formed small vortices, sucking up the fog and sending it off to the far reaches of the highlands.

"ALFA!" Kellyn's voice rang out from a distance away where he stood with Keith. "MISSION CALL!"

Breaking into a sprint, I began making my way over to the other two Rangers as we continued to their bikes together. Mounting, I followed Kellyn and Keith down back from the highlands and near their apartment and the Altru Bridge towards Pueltown.

"Our target is Ice of the Dim Sun Syndicate. High ranking officer." Keith debriefed us as we gathered at the edge of the bridge. Kellyn and the recently arrived Garchomp taking off in a curving path to the other side of the bridge to close off the avenue of exit. "Be ready for a jumper."

"Target heading south on the bridge. Go for interception." Kellyn's voice sounded clear down Keith earpiece and radiating just out of it within my earshot as I prepared to wrap up the maneuver.

Keith rode down the bridge from the Altru Park, spotting the blueish streaks in his hair marking the man they were looking for. The unseemly stranger picked up his pace as he noticed his tail, breaking into a run as the Top Ranger hurtled towards him.

Kellyn leaped off Garchomp, heading down the bridge in the other direction to complete the pincer on him. A pair of icy blue eyes stared at Kellyn from the running figure's face as he twisted on his heel and sprang up. His figure blocked the sunlight for a moment, casting a shadow over Kellyn as he stepped onto the stone railing.

"He's jumping off the East Side of the bridge." Kellyn shouted down the com as their target pushed off his heels on the stone railing and jumped off it.

Taking my cue, I hurtled in on my partner from below the bridge, leaping off Latios and tackling the man into the choppy water below the bridge. I took a deep breath just in time as my lenses ticked down how far from the water we were, given we were falling face first.

Hitting a switch on my Styler at my hip, I blinked as the scene in front of me switched to a heat map as we crashed together into the cool water beneath the cement of the bridge. I whipped my Styler out of its holster as fast as I could in the water and reeled a cord out of it to truss up the target and pull him up to the surface. Sunlight caught my eyes as we broke the surface of the water, forcing me to keep my eyes turn away as I waved for Latios to drag us up to the bridge. Weightlessness took over as the draconic Pokémon lifted us up with telekinesis, depositing us next to my partners. I coughed for a second, looking up.

"What?" I asked, shaking my hair out as they stared on.

"I swear they didn't look like that two years ago when we took down The Dim Sun Syndicate." Kellyn said.

"It's like there's a mirror next to him." Keith murmured.

I frowned, turning to stare at the silently waiting target next to me.

"What the hell!?"

[=============]

Ranger Union Headquarters, one hour later….

I stepped out of the holding cell, wrapping up my briefing of the Ranger on guard duty.

"You might want to update his database appearance format. He doesn't exactly look that close to how he did." I remarked dryly, walking over to the Greene room where the Chairperson, the Professor and a couple of other Top Rangers were waiting. Swallowing nervously, I stepped into range of the doors sensor and let it slide open, revealing the default green AutoCAD display.

"Alfa, good. We can start the debrief and begin evaluating the case." Hastings rapped his cane against the shielded screen on the floor, sitting down at one end of the conference table.

"Kellyn, do you mind. I'm still a bit wary of this whole thing." Outwardly I was fine, years of training and field work had taken me through some troubling and gruesome scenes, but I just couldn't shake this. It felt like there was the incessant buzz of a Yanma in the back of my head somewhere.

"Upon receiving the mission call Alpha Squad headed towards the Altru Bridge, where we had been informed that our target was making his way north. Reaching the bridge, we separated to intercept the target and chased him down to the middle of the bridge where he jumped off the edge. Ranger Raynerson tackled and bound the target bringing him back to the bridge and from there Alpha Squad returned to the Headquarters with the target in hand. Mission Complete."

"Acknowledged and approved." Chairperson Erma spoke up, leaning forward ever so slightly. I felt my Styler vibrate slightly against my hip as the mission status changed from active to complete, another one for the books.

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's talk. He did **not** look this much like Alfa back when the Syndicate up and about." Keith remarked, "I have to be suspicious, at the very least of what the bloody hell is going on."

"I want to think about his behavior during the siege to Altru Tower as well. It didn't quite fit." Kellyn prodded, moving closer to the main screen. "During my run in with him in the upper level, he was continuously at the mainframe in the room. When he did command his Garchomp, it was kind of like he was trying to stall for time. and we know that all the controls for the main operation were either in the lab with Isaac, or on the roof with Blake Hall."

"I mean, he could have just been engineering his escape." Wendy interjected, crossing her arms.

"He did that. I stopped for a moment after he had left to try and figure out what he did because, you know, at that time we didn't know he couldn't have done anything." Kellyn stopped for a second, taking a breath. "Guys, he called off the aerial guard. That's why there was no opposition when you went up there. He said he'd take care of it. Hall anticipated the gems, and he set up a guard, but Ice sent a command dismissing them saying he would head the operation with his team. What's the next message? He disbands his personal team."

"What I want to know is what in Darkrai's name is going on." Sven swore, opening the com link. "This is going to have to go a panel. Inform Ice that he'll face seven Rangers; as soon as they get here."

Cutting the line Sven pulled up a register on the right screen, opposite where he sat. All eleven of the Top Rangers. It felt kind of odd seeing my own image there. It wasn't often that you saw your Ranger status page pulled up on the mainframe in front of you. You could ask after others, you could see files, but not usually the active status page.

"As per usual, Alpha squad, you will not be on the panel." Sven began, looking at the list. "Wendy, Lunick, Solana, Spenser, Joel, Ben and Myself. And…. Everyone but Ben is free, but it looks like he should be free soon. I'll get the message out. Alpha squad, you're dismissed until the tribunal begins. You'll be there as the Rangers responsible for the capture of the target. Kellyn, Keith, we may have questions about your runs in with Ice during the Syndicate episode. I'm calling it in for eight tomorrow morning."

[=============]

The next day…

The tribunal room was located at the northernmost tip of the Union, behind the Greene Room on the second floor. Three massive banners dominated the back wall, the Union Banner in the center, the names of all those who had given their lives in the service of the Ranger Union, Pokémon and human alike, and the doctrine of the Pokémon Rangers. Somber, intimidating, awe inspiring, and sobering. In front of it was a semicircular judge's stand for seven. In the center was Sven, slightly higher than the others in his post as Head Ranger, though his height alone made him stand above most. To his right-hand side was Wendy, then Lunick and Spenser. To his left were Ben, Joel and Solana.

I recoiled slightly as I felt something jab my upper arm, turning to see Keith gesturing at Wendy and Sven. Her hand was resting on his arm as they talked, and from the way she was looking at him I could see why Keith was pointing it out.

"Ten bucks to whoever gets one of them to admit it." I murmured to Kellyn, Keith looking at me quizzically.

"Trust me it's reciprocal." Kellyn whispered to Keith as we straightened and took our positions at the stand off to the right wall, with Isaac there as our tech.

My chest locked up for a second and I shuddered as another Ranger brought Ice into the room, his hands tied behind his back as he was taken to the stand in the center of the room. They used to say there's about six or so doppelgangers of you in the world. That was before the war in Kalos thirty years ago. With all the disasters that've rocked the world since then, I'd say the number's one now, and I was staring at mine.

Hazelnut hair with flecks of pale blue, pale skin, only his eyes were different. Icy blue to my pale grey. Well, that and his shave, but he'd been in a high security holding cell overnight. I'd been in the apartment.

"Ice…." Sven stopped, looking at the file in front of him to see a lack of a first name.

"Snowbelle." He spoke up quietly, just loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"Ice Snowbelle. You are here to stand trial for your crimes against Almia as a member of the Dim Sun Syndicate." Sven began, staring him in the eye. "Explain the greater tale and details of your involvement, under oath that if found to be lying your punishment will be adjusted accordingly."

"My name is Ice Snowbelle. I was adopted in December of 1998 by Blake Hall, along with the two other members of what would come to be known as the Sinis Trio, Lavana and Heath. I had amnesia. I didn't know anything except my first name and how old I was. I had a crumpled-up note from my birthday in my pocket at the time. that was how I found out both of those things. Blake Hall took the three of us in within the span of a month. I was the first. He raised us to an extent. Mostly hired help raised us. At sixteen we were brought to him in his office. We were to work in his new operation, Dim Sun. It was absolutely necessary." Ice stopped to take a breath.

"We worked under him, on whatever he assigned us. Research was my specialty. People were Lavana's. Brute force was Heath's. We were taught to never talk back to him, to never question the operation, because god knows if we had we would have been out on the streets. Later down the line, when we knew too much there were no options. I quit at twenty years old. First the research was harmless. Energy sources, Poké-Biology. Later it branched into history and lore. I was the one who located the gems. I couldn't take it, so I planned my escape. I stalled at Almia Castle because I knew that the windows of opportunity were few and far between for other things, things that couldn't be done until we had the Blue Gem, so I stalled and deliberately messed with the timeline. Otherwise you lot wouldn't have managed in time. I stalled for time again in the upper levels of Almia Tower during my altercation with a Ranger. I called of the air patrol, claiming I would take over myself with my personal squad. I disbanded my squad, went up for long enough for the current patrol to believe me, and then abandoned them. I've been on the run since then. I got rid of the blue hair, got into better shape, ditched the pretentious outfit and that's it."

The room remained silent for a good five minutes. I looked at the panel, waiting for them to say something. Finally, it was Joel who broke the silence.

"You say you didn't know your last name. am I to assume that Blake Hall gave you your old identity when he adopted you?"

"No." Ice responded.

"How then?" Joel adjusted his glasses, sliding them down the bridge of his nose and taking them off.

"I was hiding in Snowbelle City when the avalanche hit last December. I was caught in it, pinned under a tree. Brought the memories back. After all, that was how I lost them, with my siblings and all." He explained.

"Lavana and Heath were not your siblings, correct?" Ice nodded, waiting for Joel to continue. "Who were they then, and what happened to them?"

"My younger sister, Sicilia Snowbelle, and my twin brother, Alfa Snowbelle, both had amnesia as well. We were separated during the accident and adopted by different people. That's what I was told by someone who knew our parents in Snowbelle City."

I froze, completely silent, along with the rest of the room. I could hear Keith's heart pulsing next to me, the only external sound in the entire room. Drowned out entirely by the rapid thumping of my own heart.

"Where's your proof?" Ben asked, staring at him.

"Well seeing me hasn't kicked the block from his head, so I would assume it'll take a powerful psychic to open the flood gates in Alfa's mind." Ice gestured towards me.

"Well then it's a good thing we have one." My eyes widened as my lips moved without my realizing it. Resigning myself to it, I reached out for Latios with my mind and waited for the Dragon to bend space and appear in the room.

' _Hey buddy. You've been listening in like usual right?'_ I asked, placing a hand on my partner's flank.

' _Let's see if there's something you don't remember.'_ I moved my hand from Latios's flank to its forehead, widening my stance slightly so I wouldn't fall over as control slipped out of my hands and everything faded into a blurry stream of memories of South Cross Island and playing outside, meeting Latios, and then a glacier I couldn't recognize for the longest time.

The room came back into focus and I took a step to regain my balance, letting go of Latios.

' _Well, he isn't wrong that there's a block there. That glacier. You've never been to one. The problem is that I can't break it. Well, without shattering your mind that is. It's too deeply rooted. There's someone else who can, but not me.'_ Latios explained, turning to face the panel.

"I never get over that eerie glow." Solana shivered as she whispered to me from where she sat.

"So, what's the result?" Sven asked, his face not unkind.

"Somethings there, but Latios can't get through it." I hesitated to admit it when my infallible partner couldn't succeed, but I had to. "There is a Pokémon that can though."

I stopped to look at the raised eyebrows of everyone on the panel as well as Ice, who seemed surprised.

"What do you need to do?" Sven asked, setting his arms down on the stand, fingers intertwined.

"Requesting permission to halt the tribunal and dispatch Head Ranger," I swallowed once, looking Sven in the eye, "to Sinnoh."


End file.
